Paper pulp refiner



July 16, 1940. J. E. BOND PAPER IULP REFINER 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug.26, 1936 Jul 16, 1940.

J. E. BOND PAPER PULP REFINER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 26, 1 936 \wdQM w. F N L I q Q i w 3 B o o o a o o o 0 O a |\l1 9 mw w NW 9 ,3 2 2 QQ ym a K k@ Arlm.

ATTORNEY July 16, 1940.

J. E. B OND PAPER PULP REFINER Filed Aug. 26, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet s July16, 1940. E, B ND 2,208,320

PAPER PULP REFINER Filed Aug. 26, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Y n02 ATTORN EY10 in a comparatively short time.

Patented July 16, 1940 Y H UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAPER PULPREFINEB Joseph E. Bond, Middleflowii, Ohio' Application August 26, 1936,Serial No. 97,958 1 Claim. (CI. 92-26) This invention relates torefining apparatus Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a pulp forpaper pulp and the like. ing system embodying the present invention;

One object of the invention is the provision of drawn on a small scale;a-refining apparatus for beating and treating Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsectional view on line paper pulp and other similar or related sub- 2-2of Figs. 1 and 3 through a portion of the '5 stances, adapted to producea refined defibering pulping system, showing the refining unit incenaction with a comparatively small power contral vertical section;sumption and capable of treating an unusually Fig. 3 is a verticalsection taken on the line large amount of pulp or other fibrous material3-3 of Fig. 2; a

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the refining unit; Another object of theinvention is the provi- Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of thesion of a refining unit of the character menrefining unit rotor havingstraight refining bars, tioned, having a comparatively few outer or bedand an associated bed unit; units that are adjustably movable in aradial Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a rotor in which l5 directiontowards and away from a rotatable plug the bars are arranged at asubstantial helical member or rotor, the rotor and the casing in angle,and an'associated bed unit; and which the bed units are supported havingrefining Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the bars which treat thepulp in a uniform manner electrical control of the adjusting motorswhich as thepulp travels from one end of the casing to regulate theposition of the bed units.

7 the other along the outer side of the rotor. Referring moreparticularly to the drawings by 20 Another object of the invention isthe pro-' reference numerals, Fig. 1 illustrates an apparavision of arefining apparatus having several ratus in accordance with the inventionin which dially adjustable bed members each of large size paper pulp orother fibrous material is broken up, and guided in the casing in such amanner as pulped and refined. The systemcomprises a cirto avoidobjectionable vibration and noise. culating tank H) to which pulp lapsor other ma- 5 Another object of the invention is the proviterial to bepulped and defibered is introduced, sion "of a refining apparatus of thecharacter this material flowing around midfeather II and mentioned, inwhich the bed units extend through into the inlet passage 12 of adisintegrating apa comparatively large part of the periphery of paratusdesignated generally by the reference nuthe casing, the bedunits-including bar supportmeral l3. The disintegrating apparatus, which30 ing metal holders. that have extended guiding is shown more in detailat the left-hand end of surfaces large enough in radial direction to ef-Fig. 2, comprises a 'series of high-speed rotating fectivefy preventvibration during operation. disintegrating blades M which are adapted toAnother object of the invention is the provibeat, whirl, and shred thestock pieces and to sion of a refining apparatus especially adaptedperform an effective disintegrating action as the for repeatedcirculation of the paper pulp from pulp pieces pass along to the outletl5 of the disone end of the. apparatus to the other end and integratingapparatus. The pulp is forced along capable of treating the paper pulpwith very little by the action of the disintegrating blades l4 cuttingaction and with considerable hydration which have a propelling effectand by propelling and in an exceedingly efficient and rapid manner. orpumping blades 16. The pulp is thus forced 40 Another object of theinvention is the provision along to the pa s 11 w ic xt nds upwa dly ofa paper pulp refining apparatus having radially and through Wh the Stockis returned b adjustable bed members which are automatically through thereturn P a t e c c a n adjusted to proper clearance position withrespect tank W, the Stock then returning in e t y to the rotor bars inaccordance with the power. gravity. to repeat the Circuit consumption ofth d i t r; Some of the stock that has been pulped and Another object ofthe invention is the provision disintegrated nd wh c pp e to the passageof a paper pulp refining apparatus having bars I1 s f r as y m a s of prp l l d s 19 which are made from basal lava or the like-and 011 the ehigh Speed rotary Shaft |9w P adapted to handle pulp stock of aconsistency of carries the disintegrating blades l4, to the inlet 50 8%or 10% or more. passage 20 of the refining apparatus which is Otherobjects and advantages of the invention designated generally by thereference numeral 2|. will be apparent from the following description,The stock is given a refining action as it passes the appended claim andthe accompanying drawthrough this apparatus to the outlet passage 22,

ings, in whichwhich preferably returns some of the stock to 55 whichparent from Figs. 2, 3 and 4, is one that is adapted for a refiningaction which is substantially uniform in character as the stock passesfrom one end of the apparatus to the other,the passage of the stocktaking place at a substantially constant distance from the axis ofrotation and thus having a uniform skin friction loss and a uniformbar-pass-treatment as it passes from the inlet to the outlet passage 22.It has been found that the speed of movement of a refining bar and thenumber of bar passes per minute determine, to some extent, theparticular treatment to which the pulp is subjected, and the particularresults obtained. In a device in 'which the plug is tapered, as in theusual Jordan engine construction, the peripheral speed of the bar at thesmall end of the plug 'will be very much less than the peripheral speedat the larger end of the plug and the bar passes per minute will bequite different at different ends of the Jordan. The pulp in a Jordanengine will thus be subjected to different kinds of refining actions asit passes once through the Jordan. In accordance with the presentinvention, however,

the proper speed of operation can be determined and selected inaccordance with the desired characteristics of the pulp so that the pulpwill be effectively treated in the proper manner and most effectivelyfor any particular stock reguirement, and the power will thus be mostefiectively utilized in the refining action that is produced. It isalsodesirable that the same refining apparatus be capable of treating thestock fibers diflferently as desired. In accordance with the presentinvention the machine can give a gentle but ef-. fective and continuedbrushing action under considerable pressure head without much choppingor cutting action on the stock fibers, so that the fibers are long andare hydrated effectively to producea strong tough'sheet. By decreasingthe speed of operation, changing the operating clearance of the bars,and decreasing the pressure head and the stock consistency the treatmentof the stock can be such as to give increased chopping action and abulkysoft sheet.

As will be apparent, in accordance with applicants invention, the numberof passes that any rotor bar makes with respect to the fixed bars at oneend of the apparatus will be .the same as the number of passes made inany'given time at the other end of the apparatus, and it is the numberof passes in any given unit of time which to a large extentdeterminesthe effectiveness of the refining action.

More particularly, the refining apparatus comprises a casing or housing24 in which the rotor 25 is rotatably mounted as by means of a suitablebearing 26.at one end of the shaft 19a, the other end of the shaft beingsupported by bearing 21 which is mounted on the common supporting base28 of the refining apparatus.

The rotor 35 comprises'a number of bars 30 extend" from one end of therotor to the other "and which are spaced-apart so asto provide-passagesor channels 3| between adjacent casing 25, which is also clearanceadjusting block or 5 size, and inasmuch as there bars. The bars arepreferably of substantial width and may be straight so as to extendparallel to the axis of rotation,-as illustrated in Fig. 5, or may bearranged helically at a substantially helical angle, as in Fig. 6, asdesired for the particular treatment to be given to the pulp. As hereinshown, the bars 30 are made from a basalt lava or the like, which is astone of a porous character and which is adapted for a rather gentlerefining action on paper pulp stock and the like. The bars 30, however,may be made of other suitable material especially where the cuttingaction isintended to be more severe, or where it is not desired toproduce a comparatively high degree of hydration on the stock. The bars30 are preferably cemented in place in sockets provided in the metalskeleton frame 32 which is fixed on the shaft la, the

cement 33 rigidifying the structure and preventing outward movement ofthe bars and also permitting the bars to wear a considerable distancewhile maintaining the frame 32 well out of contact with any stationarypart of the apparatus.

The bars 30 are adapted for cooperation with bed units 35 which arecomparatively large in size and few in number and each of whichcomprises one or more bars, preferably of basalt lava to produce thedesired refining and rolling action. Each bed unit may present a singlecontinuous part-cylindrical surface so as to give the maximum surface ofrefining contact with the material treated although grooves 36 may beprovided at a suitable angle in the basalt lava bed members so as toprovide spaced bars 31 which are normally fixed and which are adaptedfor cooperation'with the rotatable bars on the rotor which operate witha clearance of a few thousandths of an inch or with a clearanceconsidererably greater or somewhat less than this, as desiredfor theparticular refiningaction to be produced. 'I'h'e. -grooves 36, as shownin Fig. 5, ex-' tendhelicaily at a substantial angle from a pointadjacent the inlet .passage at one end of the casing to the other end ofthe casing.

The bed units 35, 35a and 35b are adapted to be adjusted radiallytowards or away from the axis of rotation of the rotor to vary theclearance between the rotor bars and the bed units. As will be moreapparent from Fig. 3, each of the bed units 35, tiiaand 35b is securedin a holder 38, being attached rigidly to the same by cement .39, Theholder 38 is a-metal member, preferably of cast iron, and havingextended guide surfaces 46 of comparatively large radial extent, andreaching from one end of the bed unit to the other. The length of theguide surfaces measured in a substantially radial direction is about thesame'as the rotor radius in the embodiment shown, so that vibrationalmovements, during operation, are prevented. The ends of the holder arealso guided for sliding movement in the preferably'a metal casting andwhich is preferably provided with a shim 8| for each bed unit,adjustable by means of positioning screws 42 so that any play orloosefiesssuch as might produce vibration can be readily taken up. Eachbed unit extends throughout a. very large proportion of the annularextent of the casing, only a few of such bed units being employed sothat each will extend through not substantially less than 90 of'thecomplete circular extent of the casing. Eachunit will thus be of quitelarge is a very large efiective area. guiding the bed unit in thecasing,

' motor 53.

. objectionable vibration of the bed units and their parts will beavoided during operation. A comparatively large number of bed unitsinadequately supported in the casing would vibrate objectionably, thevibration rapidly producing wear as well as noise and causing objectionsthat are avoided by the present invention.

It is preferred that only three bed units will be employed, one of thebed units being arranged centrally at the upper portion of the machineand the other two bed units being symmetrically arranged 120 apart sothat the total height of the machine can be kept within desirablelimits, and so as to provide an equalized and symmetrical constructionand one in which there is no objectionable vibration.

The bed units are adapted to be adjusted mechanically and in a positivemanner so that their positions with respect to the axis of rotation canbe changed simultaneously equally and exactly to any desired extent.Thus the bed unit 35 shown at the top of Fig. 3 is positioned at one endby means of a rotatable shaft 46, the lower end of which is rotatablymounted in the bed plate holder 38, although relative axial movements ofthese parts is prevented. The upper portion of the shaft 46 is threadedas indicated at 41 and the threads are engaged by a rotatable nut 48which is supported for rotational movements at a fixed distance from theshaft Illa, being mounted on the head portion 49 of the casing 26. Aswill be understood, rotational movements of the nut 48 moves the shaft46 axially, and thus varies the position of the bed unit with respect tothe center of the shaft lfla in order to change the clearance betweenthe rotor bars and'the fixed bed bars. The nut 48 is fixed to a wormgear 50 which is rotated by means of a worm 5! provided on a shaft 52,the latter being operated by a suitable reversible electric The electricmotor 53 can be controlled so as to move the screw 46 either inwardly oroutwardly as desired.

As will be apparent from Fig. 2, the supporting and adjusting means justdescribed for one end of the bed unit is duplicated adjacent the otherend of the bed unit, the two screws 46 being simultaneously rotated bymeans of a common shaft 52 under the control of the driving motor 53. Asshown in Fig. 2 a suitable manually controlled handwheel 55 may besupplied on the shaft 52 if desired.

The bed units 35a and 35b which are provided in the lower portion of themachine are arranged and supported for adjustment, etc., in

a manner similar to the bed unit 35 as above described. The bed unit 35ais adapted to be controlled directly by the electric motor 53a whileelectric motor 53b controls the movements of the bed unit 35b. However,the three motors 53, 53a and 53b are preferably interconnectedmechanically by means of sprocket gears 51 and a common sprocket chain58 so that the three bed units are compelled to move the same distancesinwardly or outwardly and thus maintain .a uniform clearance withrespect to the rotor bars. At the first operation of the apparatus thebed units may be adjusted to practically zero clearance so as to grindthe bed bars and the rotor bars on one another to obtain a uniformheight of the bars, and then the bed units are backed ofi to a properoperating clearance of a few thousandths of an inch.

The refining apparatus provided her of straight basalt lava bars on witha numthe rotor, and.

with a comparatively few large'sized bed units adapted for radialadjustment on the stationary casing provides-a construction adapted forhandling stock up to 4% or 5% consistency, or more, as stock of thisconsistency can pass from one end of the rotor to the other through thechannels or passages 3| which are provided between adjacent bed unitsand can be caused to pass from one end of the apparatus to the other.

With the bars on the rotor comparatively few in number and withconsiderable spaces between the bars, and with the bars on the rotor andthe bars on the bed units inclined helically and oppositely with respectto one another as in Fig. 6 so as to give, a quite effective propellingaction from the inlet to the outlet passages, the apparatus is such asto operate effectively on pulp stock up to about 12% consistencyalthough stock of such high consistency cannot be pumped by the usualpump devices. In accordance with applicants invention, however, thepumping action produced by the blades l9 coupled with the propellingaction produced by reason of the angular sweep of the bars 30a of therotor past the bars 31a of the bed units during operation is adequate toproduce an effective movement of pulp stock through the apparatus. Thestock can thus readily pass to positions between adjacent bars, and canthen flow out into the effective treating range between the rotor barsand the stationary bars on the bed units as the rotor moves, thick stockbeing prevented from gatherthen to the space between some other pair ofbars, during its axial travel. With the basalt lava bars on both therotor and on the stationary bed units, a comparatively gentle refiningaction of the thick stock will take place and a large amount ofhydration will be pronounced especially with high' pressure head. at theoutlet passage of the apparatus.

With the bars on the rotor inclined helically and oppositely withrespect to the bars on the bed units at a substantial angle asillustrated in Fig. 6, a construction is provided in which metallicsubstances that might find their way into the mass being treated will beforced along by the angularly intersecting surfaces of the fixed androtatable. members, without injuring the members even though they are ofstone construction. The action is somewhat like that given to a metalobject between the blades. of a-pair of scissors when the blades of thescissors are at an angle of 45 -to 90 with respect to one another. Thisis of importance in a construction of this kind in which the bars of therotor and of the stator are of stone construction that otherwise mightbe damaged very materially by metal objects such as a nut for examplepassing through the apparatus.

It will also be noted from Fig. 2 the disintegrating blades l4 and thepump blades 16 may be provided on the same shaft, l9a, that carries therotor of the refining apparatus. Both ends of the refining apparatus areof comparatively large diameter, the outside diameter of all of theblades on the shaft being less than the inside diameter of the end wallof the refining apparatus which encloses the pumping blades I9. Theentire shaft with its supported members thereon may therefore bewithdrawn to the right from the shells or housings in which it islocated.

With all of the stock receiving that particular degree of refiningaction that is most desirable,

since the stock passage is of a consistent diameter,

and with the apparatus operating on thick stock and thus effectivelydefibering large quantities of fiber in any given time, it will beapparent that the power is most effectively utilized so that of powerreation that may be desired can be obtained. It is preferred, however,that under normal conditions the adjustable bed units should be adjustedautomatically to maintain an efiective refining action and in order thatthe amount of efiective work accomplished by the apparatus should bemaintained substantially constant. With the skin friction remainingsubstantially constant at any given'speed of rotation, as the pulpingprogresses it is desired to change the setting of the bed units so as tomaintain the amount of work done by the apparatus at some value. Thepowerconsumption of the driving motor is a measure ofthe effectiveness-'of the refining or pulping action taking place.

For this purpose the three adjusting motors 53, 53a and 53b may becontrolled by suitable reversing switch mechanism, designated generally65, see Fig., '7, the reversing switches being energized from the threephaseline 66 and controlled by suitable relay coils 61 and 61a. The

relay coils are controlled automatically in such a way that when theload decreases on the main driving motor 69, which is fixed to the shaftl9c, the adjustable bed units are brought closer to the axis of rotationof the roll thus decreasing I the clearance and increasing the amount ofwork. The main driving motor 69 is driven from the three-phase line 10through a switch II. The

transformer primaries l2 and 13 are connected across two phases of thepowersupply and their respective secondaries 12a and 1311 are connectedas shown to a series of control switches including a manually operableswitch 14 by means of which the load can be increased and a manuallyoperable switch 15 by means of which the load can be decreased.Operation of these switches control the energization of the relays 61and 61a in a selective manner and under manual control ,so that thesetting of the bed units can be changed manually even before the maindrive.

motor is started.

During operation, the current transformer secondary 16 in one line ofthe maindriving motor supply automatically controls the amount ofcurrent fiowing through a contact making ammeter I1 which controls amovable contact 18 and causes it to contact with either one of theprimary coils ofthe relays 81 and 81a depending on the amount of currentflowing and thus depending on the amount of work done. A controllablerheostat 80 can be manually operated to change the load setting'so thatwhen it is intended that the load should be decreased, as for a desiredincrease of speed of rotation, then this can be eifected manually bysuitable control 01. this rheostat. It will beapparent, however; thatduring normal operation, the proper initial speed of operation havingbeen determined for the particular character of treatment desired andthe character of the stock treated, the rheostat 80 will be set so as toautomatically maintain the defibering action at an efifective rate, thebed members belike comprising a refiner having a casing provided with aninlet passage at one end and an outlet passage at the other end, saidcasing having several radially movable bed units slidably supportedtherein, a rotor operable in said casingand having a series of refiningbars adapted for cooperation with said bed units, the outside diamcterof said bars being substantially uniform from one end to the other ofthe rotor to pro-' vide a substantially uniform treatment for stockfiowing from said inlet passage to said outlet passage, a supportingshaft on which said rotor is carried, pumping blades extending outwardlyfrom said shaft, and aseries of stock disintegrating blades extendingoutwardly from said shaft and arranged axially of said pumping blades, ahousing for said blades and including a wall arranged around saidpumping blades and at an end of the rotor between the stockdisintegrating blades and the rotor, said housing surrounding said stockpumping blades and said wall having an opening of smaller diameter thanthe rotor but of larger diameter than all of said blades through whichthe blades while on said shaft can be withdrawn in an endwise direction,a circulating tank, and means connecting said tank to said housing andconnecting said refiner to said tank for the continuous circulation ofpulp through the refiner.

V JOSEPH E. BOND.

